The Devil Wears Prada 2 Set to Dominate Summer Box Office with $73M+ Opening Projection

For over a decade, the summer movie season has launched with a Marvel film on the first weekend of May. However, with Avengers: Doomsday shifting to the holiday season, a different kind of sequel—The Devil Wears Prada 2—will take its place, targeting a distinct core audience: millennial women.

Early projections suggest strong momentum. Independent trackers estimate a domestic opening weekend of at least $73 million, with presales already exceeding those of Project Hail Mary ($80.5 million opening). Exhibition sources indicate the film could open even higher, potentially nearing the $97 million debut of Michael last weekend, though competition from the female-skewing biopic may temper gains slightly.

Twenty years ago, director David Frankel adapted Lauren Weisberger’s bestselling novel, creating one of the most iconic films of the 2000s. The story of Anne Hathaway’s Andy Sachs—a bright-eyed journalism graduate navigating the cutthroat world of fashion reporting—catapulted her from teen star in The Princess Diaries to a leading box office draw. Her performance earned her more serious roles, including an Oscar win for Les Misérables.

Then there was Meryl Streep, who portrayed the iconic Miranda Priestly, the fashion editor and tastemaker loosely inspired by Vogue editor Anna Wintour. Priestly became a cultural touchstone, embodying the nightmare boss archetype while delivering razor-sharp commentary on an industry that often left her unimpressed.

The Devil Wears Prada was a mid-budget box office success for 20th Century Fox, grossing $326 million worldwide against a $41 million budget. Now, as Disney leverages Fox’s intellectual property—acquired in 2019—it turns to The Devil Wears Prada 2 to fill the early May release slot left vacant by Avengers: Doomsday.

While not an Avengers film, The Devil Wears Prada 2 is poised to outperform several recent Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) titles. Most notably, it is expected to surpass the $74.3 million opening of Thunderbolts*, which debuted in the same slot a year ago. From there, projections suggest it will easily exceed Thunderbolts*’ $190.2 million domestic total, with an international run potentially pushing its global gross past Thunderbolts*’ $382.4 million.

Whether this reflects the enduring cultural legacy of The Devil Wears Prada or the MCU’s struggles to sustain audience interest in new superhero teams is debatable. For now, the focus remains on the former, as The Devil Wears Prada 2 prepares to reclaim its throne as the unofficial kickoff to summer blockbuster season.